1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and to a method of fabricating the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) integrated circuit having an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit and to a method of fabricating the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a semiconductor device includes an electro-static discharge (ESD) circuit for protection. Thus, a semiconductor device can endure several thousand volts applied instantaneously from external sources. The ESD circuit has a function of protecting an internal circuit by bypassing static charges injected into each pad, through a power pad or a ground pad, in the event that a voltage deviating from the range of operating voltage is applied to each pad.
Problems with silicon substrates, which are widely used as substrates for semiconductor devices, however, can render forming an ESD circuit difficult for reasons that will follow.
First, forming shallow source/drain regions of a transistor is difficult making it not only difficult to realize highly integrated semiconductor devices, but also to decrease parasitic capacitance between the silicon substrate and the source/drain regions. Consequently, it is difficult to obtain improvements in the operation speed of semiconductor devices. Second, when forming a semiconductor memory device at a silicon substrate, it is difficult to decrease a soft error rate (SER) due to the cell-formed well. Third, when fabricating a semiconductor device having a CMOS circuit, it is difficult to suppress latch-up phenomenon.
Recently, in response to the above-mentioned problems associated with forming a semiconductor device at a silicon substrate, a technique of fabricating a semiconductor integrated circuit at a SOI substrate has been widely used. However, there are still limitations on the formation of an ESD circuit when fabricating a semiconductor device at a SOI substrate
FIG. 1 illustrates an equivalent circuit design of a typical SOI integrated circuit having an ESD circuit.
Referring to FIG. 1, an input pad 50 is connected with an internal circuit 100 through an ESD circuit 1. The ESD circuit 1 includes a diode D. The ESD circuit 1 may also include a MOS transistor. A n-type region and a p-type region of the diode are connected with the input pad 50 and a ground terminal, respectively. Also, the input pad 50 is connected with an input terminal of the internal circuit 100. The input terminal of the internal circuit 100 corresponds to a gate electrode of the MOS transistor composing a CMOS circuit. Although an inverter including both a PMOS transistor Tp and an NMOS transistor Tn is given here as an example of the internal circuit, the internal circuit may be a circuit including a NAND gate, a NOR gate or a combination thereof.
Reverse bias breakdown voltage of the diode D should be higher than the operating voltage of the internal circuit 100, that is, power voltage. Also, reverse bias breakdown voltage of the diode D should be lower than the gate oxide layer breakdown voltage of both the PMOS transistor Tp and the NMOS transistor Tn composing the internal circuit 100.
When applying voltage higher than the reverse bias breakdown voltage of the diode D to the input pad 50, a large current is by-passed to the ground terminal through the diode D. Thus, although a high voltage of several thousand volts is applied to the input pad 50, a voltage, which is applied to the input terminal of the internal circuit, is higher than the power voltage and lower than the gate oxide layer breakdown voltage. Thus, the internal circuit 100 is protected by the ESD circuit 1.
FIGS. 2 through 4 illustrate cross-sectional views of a conventional fabrication method for realizing the SOI integrated circuit shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, a SOI substrate is prepared. The SOI substrate includes a supporting substrate 11, a buried oxide layer 13 stacked on the supporting substrate 11 and a semiconductor layer 15 stacked on the buried oxide layer 13. A device isolation layer 15a is selectively formed at a predetermined region of the semiconductor layer 15. The device isolation layer 15a is formed to contact with the buried oxide layer 13. Thus, active regions 15b surrounded by the device isolation layer 15a and the buried oxide layer 13 are defined. A photoresist pattern 17 is formed on the resultant structure where the device isolation layer 15a is formed. The photoresist pattern 17 has a first opening 17a and a second opening 17b exposing predetermined regions of the ESD circuit region 1.
Referring to FIG. 3, the device isolation layer 15a and the buried oxide layer 13 are continuously dry-etched using the photoresist pattern 17 of FIG. 2 as an etch mask, to form holes exposing predetermined regions of the supporting substrate 11. At this time, the exposed supporting substrate 11 has a damaged surface 21 resulting from the dry-etch. Epitaxial layers are selectively formed on the damaged surface 21. Thus, because a property of the semiconductor epitaxial layers is that they are directly affected by the underlying layer, first and second semiconductor epitaxial layers 19a and 19b have crystalline defects.
Referring to FIG. 4, the NMOS transistor Tn and the PMOS transistor Tp of FIG. 1 are formed at the active regions 15b in the internal circuit region 100 using a conventional method. The NMOS transistor includes both a gate oxide layer 21 and a first gate electrode 23n sequentially stacked on a predetermined region of the active region 15b. Further, the NMOS transistor includes a first source region 27s and a first drain region 27d formed at both sides of the first gate electrode 23n, respectively. Likewise, the PMOS transistor includes a gate oxide layer 21 and a second gate electrode 23p sequentially stacked on a predetermined region of the active region adjacent to the NMOS transistor. The PMOS transistor also includes a second source region 29s and a second drain region 29d formed at both sides of the second gate electrode 23p, respectively.
Further, spacers 25 are formed on sidewalls of the first and second gate electrodes 23n and 23p. Also, metal silicide layers 31 may be formed on the first and second gate electrodes 23n and 23p, and the first and second source/drain regions 27s, 27d, 29s and 29d, through a self-aligned silicide (salicide) process.
Meanwhile, a p-type impurity layer 29p and an n-type impurity layer 27p are formed in the first and second semiconductor epitaxial layers 19a and 19b of FIG. 3, respectively. The n-type impurity layer 27p may be formed simultaneously with the first source/drain regions 27s and 27d, and the p-type impurity layer 29p may be formed simultaneously with the second source/drain region 29s and 29d. Also, the metal silicide layers 31 may be formed even at the surfaces of the n-type and p-type impurity layers 27p and 29p. The n-type and p-type impurity layers 27p and 29p correspond to the n-type and p-type regions of the diode D illustrated in FIG. 1, respectively. Consequently, a junction of the diode D exists in the semiconductor epitaxial layers 19a and 19b, and thus, the diode shows a very inferior leakage current characteristic.
According to the conventional technology as described above, the leakage current characteristic of the diode used as the ESD circuit becomes remarkably lowered. Thus, the ESD characteristic of the SOI integrated circuit is degraded.
It is therefore a feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a SOI substrate having an etch stopping layer interposed between a buried oxide layer and a supporting substrate.
It is another feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a SOI integrated circuit having an improved ESD characteristic by forming an ESD diode without crystalline defects at a SOI substrate having an etch stopping layer that is interposed between a buried oxide layer and a supporting substrate.
It is still another feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method of fabricating a SOI substrate having an etch stopping layer interposed between a buried oxide layer and a supporting substrate.
Further, it is another feature of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a method of fabricating a SOI integrated circuit that can improve an ESD characteristic using a SOI substrate having an etch stopping layer interposed between a buried oxide layer and a supporting substrate.
A feature of an embodiment of the present invention may be addressed by a SOI integrated circuit according to the present invention. The SOI substrate includes an etch stopping layer, a buried oxide layer and a semiconductor layer sequentially formed on a front surface of a supporting substrate.
Preferably, the supporting substrate is a single crystalline semiconductor substrate such as a single crystalline silicon substrate. Also, it is preferable that the etch stopping layer is an insulation layer having an etch selectivity with respect to the buried oxide layer, i.e., a silicon nitride layer. The SOI substrate may further comprise a buffer oxide layer interposed between the supporting substrate and the etch stopping layer.
Another feature of an embodiment of the present invention may be addressed by a SOI integrated circuit in accordance with the present invention. The SOI integrated circuit includes a SOI substrate. The SOI substrate includes a supporting substrate of a first conductivity type, an etch stopping layer stacked on the supporting substrate, a buried oxide layer stacked on the etch stopping layer, and a semiconductor layer stacked on the buried oxide layer. Device isolation layers are preferably formed at predetermined regions of the semiconductor layer to define first and second active regions. The supporting substrate preferably contacts with first and second semiconductor epitaxial layers that pierce the device isolation layer, the buried oxide layer and the etch stopping layer. A pick-up region of the first conductivity type and another pick-up region of the second conductivity type are preferably disposed at surfaces of the first and second semiconductor epitaxial layers, respectively. The first and second conductivity types may correspond to a p-type and an n-type, respectively, or vice versa. NMOS and PMOS transistors are preferably formed at the first and second active regions, respectively. Here, the pick-up regions and the supporting substrate compose the diode of the ESD circuit.
The pick-up regions, the device isolation layer, the NMOS and PMOS transistors are preferably covered with an interlayer insulation layer. First and second interconnections and an input pad may be disposed on the interlayer insulation layer. In the event that the first and second conductivity types are p-type and n-type, respectively, the first interconnection is electrically connected with the pick-up region of the first conductivity type and the second interconnection is electrically connected with the pick-up region of the second conductivity type and the input pad. Further, the second interconnection is connected with the input terminal of a CMOS internal circuit including the NMOS transistor and the PMOS transistor.
A buffer oxide layer may also be interposed between the supporting substrate of the first conductivity type and the etch stopping layer. In this case, the first and second semiconductor epitaxial layers pierce the buffer oxide layer.
Another feature by an embodiment of the present invention may be addressed by a method of fabricating a SOI substrate in accordance with the present invention. The method includes forming first and second semiconductor layers and a buried oxide layer in sequence on a front surface of a semiconductor substrate, and forming an etch stopping layer on a front surface of a supporting substrate. It is preferable that the supporting substrate is a single crystalline semiconductor substrate such as a single crystalline silicon substrate. The etch stopping layer and the buried oxide layer are contacted with each other to bond the semiconductor substrate to the supporting substrate. The semiconductor substrate and the first semiconductor layer are selectively removed to expose the second semiconductor layer.
Preferably, the first semiconductor layer is a porous semiconductor epitaxial layer. Alternatively, the first semiconductor layer may be formed of a bubble layer. Also, the etch stopping layer is preferably formed of an insulation layer such as a silicon nitride layer having an etch selectivity with respect to a silicon oxide layer.
Yet another feature of an embodiment of the present invention may be addressed by a method of fabricating a SOI integrated circuit in accordance with the present invention. The method includes providing a SOI substrate having a supporting substrate of a first conductivity type, an etch stopping layer stacked on the supporting substrate, a buried oxide layer stacked on the etch stopping layer, and a semiconductor layer stacked on the buried oxide layer. A device isolation layer is formed at a predetermined region of the semiconductor layer to define first and second active regions. The device isolation layer and the buried oxide layer are continuously dry-etched to form first and second preliminary holes exposing the etch stopping layer. The etch stopping layer exposed by the first and second preliminary holes is wet-etched to form first and second holes exposing the supporting substrate. Thus, etch damage applied to the surface of the exposed supporting substrate may be minimized. First and second semiconductor epitaxial layers are grown in the first and second holes, respectively. At this time, growth rates and properties of the first and second semiconductor epitaxial layers are directly affected by the surface state of the exposed supporting substrate. Consequently, in the event that the supporting substrate is a single crystalline semiconductor substrate and there is no etch damage on the surface of the supporting substrate, the first and second semiconductor epitaxial layers also do not have a crystalline defect but a single crystalline structure.
A pick-up region of a first conductivity type and another pick-up region of a second conductivity type are formed at surfaces of the first and second semiconductor epitaxial layers, respectively. Also, NMOS and PMOS transistors are formed at the first and second active regions, respectively. In the event that the first and second conductivity types are p-type and n-type, respectively, the pick-up region of the first conductivity type is preferably formed simultaneously with the source/drain regions of the PMOS transistor, and the pick-up region of the second conductivity type is preferably formed simultaneously with the source/drain regions of the NMOS transistor. On the other hand, in the event that the first and second conductivity types are n-type and p-type, respectively, the pick-up region of the first conductivity type is preferably formed simultaneously with the source/drain regions of the NMOS transistor, and the pick-up region of the second conductivity type is preferably formed simultaneously with the source/drain regions of the PMOS transistor.
Another feature of an embodiment of the present invention may be addressed by a method of fabricating a SOI integrated circuit according to the present invention. The method includes providing a SOI substrate including a supporting substrate of a first conductivity type, an etch stopping layer stacked on the supporting substrate, a buried oxide layer stacked on the etch stopping layer, and a semiconductor layer stacked on the buried oxide layer. A device isolation layer is formed at a predetermined region of the semiconductor layer to define first and second active regions. Then, the device isolation layer and the buried oxide layer are continuously dry-etched to form first and second preliminary holes exposing the etch stopping layer. A pick-up region of a first conductivity type is formed at the supporting substrate below the etch stopping layer exposed by the first preliminary hole. A pick-up region of a second conductivity type is formed at the supporting substrate below the etch stopping layer exposed by the second preliminary hole. Also, NMOS and PMOS transistors are formed at the first and second active regions, respectively.
The pick-up region of the first conductivity type is preferably formed by implanting impurity ions of the first conductivity type into the support substrate using the etch stopping layer as a screen material layer. Likewise, the pick-up region of the second conductivity type is preferably formed by implanting impurity ions of the second conductivity type into the support substrate using the etch stopping layer as a screen material layer.
These and other features and aspects of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the detailed description that follows.